Tunable electro-optic filter stack

ABSTRACT

A holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) tunable filter exhibits switching times of no more than 20 microseconds. The HPDLC tunable filter can be utilized in a variety of applications. An HPDLC tunable filter stack can be utilized in a hyperspectral imaging system capable of spectrally multiplexing hyperspectral imaging data acquired while the hyperspectral imaging system is airborne. HPDLC tunable filter stacks can be utilized in high speed switchable optical shielding systems, for example as a coating for a visor or an aircraft canopy. These HPDLC tunable filter stacks can be fabricated using a spin coating apparatus and associated fabrication methods.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/881,608 filed Jul. 9, 2013, which is the national stageentry of PCT/US2011/058483, filed Oct. 29, 2011, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/408,184, filed Oct. 29,2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. This application is related to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/721,161, filed Mar. 10, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,625,878,which issued on Apr. 18, 2017, the disclosure of which is alsoincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

GOVERNMENT RIGHTS

This invention was made with government support under Grant No.DE-FG02-08ER86355 awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE). Thegovernment has certain rights in the invention.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to a switchable optical shieldingsystem comprising a visor integrated with a holographic polymerdispersed liquid crystal tunable filter.

BACKGROUND

Hyperspectral imaging allows the measurement of spectral characteristicsof a scene of interest using a remote sensing system with a large numberof spectral bands, each band with a spectral resolution of less than 10nm. A hyperspectral imager is thus capable of producing aquasi-continuous spectrum of light which can define the chemicalcomposition of elements of the scene of interest via their respectivespectral signatures.

Known hyperspectral imagers that comprise tunable wavelength dispersingelements, or filters, lack the switching speed required to spectrallymultiplex acquired hyperspectral imaging data. Typically in suchhyperspectral imagers, each spectral resolution element is acquired inserially, and each spectral resolution element amounts to a smallfraction of the total hyperspectral cube. The integration timeassociated with the serial acquisition of each spectral resolutionelement can lengthen the acquisition time required to acquire andassemble the hyperspectral cube.

The acquisition time exhibited by known tunable hyperspectral imagersmakes them unsuitable for uses where rapid acquisition of thehyperspectral cube, for instance by spectrally multiplexing thehyperspectral imaging data, is necessary for optimum results. Forexample, acquisition of the hyperspectral cube via spectral multiplexingis desirable for hyperspectral imaging from a moving platform, such asan aircraft. This is because rapid acquisition of the hyperspectral cubeminimizes artifacts caused by the motion of the airborne platform duringthe acquisition.

Therefore, what is desirable is a tunable wavelength dispersing elementwith high speed switching times, for instance switching times thatenable spectral multiplexing of acquired hyperspectral imaging data.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a method includes applying a layer ofa conductive material to a surface of a substrate. The method furtherincludes dispersing the conductive material along the surface of thesubstrate by applying a first rotational force to the substrate. Themethod further includes applying a mixture comprising a liquid crystaland a polymer to the dispersed first layer of conductive material. Themethod further includes dispersing the mixture along the first layer ofconductive material by applying a second rotational force to thesubstrate. The method further includes exposing the mixture to aninterference pattern that causes the formation of at least one gratingstructure within the mixture.

In accordance with another embodiment, a hyperspectral imaging systemincludes a hyperspectral imager having a holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filter. The hyperspectral imager is configured tospectrally multiplex hyperspectral imaging data acquired by thehyperspectral imager. The hyperspectral imaging system further includesa platform configured to carry the hyperspectral imager. The platform isconfigured to facilitate airborne collection of the hyperspectralimaging data.

In accordance with still another embodiment, a switchable opticalshielding system includes a visor integrated with a holographic polymerdispersed liquid crystal tunable filter. The holographic polymerdispersed liquid crystal tunable filter is capable of switching betweenrespective transparent and reflective states in no more than 20microseconds.

In accordance with still another embodiment, a switchable opticalshielding system includes a canopy mounted to an aircraft. At least aportion of the canopy is integrated with a holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filter. The holographic polymer dispersed liquidcrystal tunable filter is capable of switching between respectivetransparent and reflective states in no more than 20 microseconds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofexample embodiments of the application, will be better understood whenread in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes ofillustrating the tunable electro-optic filter stack, there are shown inthe drawings example embodiments. It should be understood, however, thatthe instant application is not limited to the precise arrangementsand/or instrumentalities illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a depiction of an example HPDLC tunable filter stack inconjunction with a lens and a focal plane array;

FIG. 2 depicts the example HPDLC tunable filter stack illustrated inFIG. 1, in conjunction with a pair of lenses and a grating spectrometer;

FIG. 3 depicts another example HPDLC tunable filter stack in conjunctionwith a lens, a photo detector, and control electronics;

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict spectral characteristics exhibited by an exampleHPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 5A depicts an example HPDLC tunable filter stack in an unswitched,reflective state;

FIG. 5B depicts the example HPDLC tunable filter stack illustrated inFIG. 5A in a switched, transparent state;

FIG. 6 depicts an example system and process for generating HPDLCelements;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict an example HPDLC element in unbiased and biasedstates, respectively;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an example process for fabrication an HPDLCtunable filter stack;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an example spin coating apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a depiction of an example Langmuir trough utilized tofabricate an HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 12 is a depiction of another example Langmuir trough utilized tofabricate an HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 13 depicts techniques for enhancing the viewing angle of HPDLCelements during fabrication;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an example optical filter system intowhich an HPDLC tunable filter stack can be incorporated;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a TMS320F2812 microController;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of an example system comprising the TMS320F2812;

FIG. 17 is a table depicting performance characteristics of an exampleHPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of the breadboard system used to evaluate anexample HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 19 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with aplurality of example acrylate based HPDLC filter elements;

FIG. 20 illustrates a graph depicting a resulting filter response timeof an example acrylate based HPDLC filter element;

FIG. 21 illustrates a graph depicting resulting dynamic reflectionefficiency exhibited by an example acrylate based HPDLC filter element;

FIG. 22 is a table containing parameters and metrics of an exampleacrylate based HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 23 illustrates a graph depicting the filter reflection efficiencyof an example acrylate based HPDLC tunable filter stack as a function ofswitching voltage;

FIG. 24 illustrates a graph depicting transmission curves for an exampleacrylate based HPDLC tunable filter stack in unbiased and biased states;

FIG. 25 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with anexample thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 26 illustrates a graph depicting a comparison of reflectionefficiency as a function of switching voltage for an example thiolenebased HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 27 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with anexample thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack comprising HPDLCfilter elements having filter lengths of 20 microns;

FIG. 28 illustrates a graph depicting the response of an example HPDLCtunable filter stack as a function of switching voltage;

FIG. 29 is a table illustrating the performance of an example thiolenebased HPDLC tunable filter stack operating in the near-IR portion of thespectrum;

FIG. 30 illustrates a graph depicting the response of the thiolene basedHPDLC filter stack as a function of switching voltage;

FIG. 31 depicts demodulated signals for an example HPDLC tunable filterstack comprising ten filters when the HPDLC tunable filter stack issubjected to a monochromatic light source;

FIG. 32 depicts demodulated signals for an example HPDLC tunable filterstack comprising ten filters when the HPDLC tunable filter stack issubjected to a He:Ne gas laser;

FIG. 33 depicts example techniques that can be used to assemble theHPDLC elements of an example HPDLC tunable filter stack;

FIG. 34 illustrates an example apparatus that can be used to fabricatean HPDLC tunable filter stack in accordance with one of the techniquesillustrated in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated withindividual example thiolene based HPDLC filter elements in the 600-700nm wavelength range;

FIG. 36 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated withindividual example thiolene based HPDLC filter elements in the 700-800nm wavelength range;

FIGS. 37A-J illustrate respective transmission spectra of examplethiolene based HPDLC filter elements from the table illustrated in- FIG.35;

FIGS. 38A-J illustrate respective transmission spectra of examplethiolene based HPDLC filter elements from the table illustrated in FIG.36;

FIGS. 39A-B illustrate the spectra, both switched and unswitched of apair of thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stacks in the 600-700 nmrange and 700-800 nm range, respectively;

FIG. 40A illustrates an apparatus, including a diffusing film, that canbe used to fabricate a diffused HPDLC filter element;

FIGS. 40B and 40C depict respective morphologies of example non-diffuseand diffuse HPDLC filter elements, respectively;

FIG. 41A illustrates a graph depicting performance characteristics of anexample HPDLC filter element with a viewing angle expanded by 10° usinga 5° diffusing film;

FIG. 41B illustrates a graph depicting performance characteristics of anexample HPDLC filter element with a 20° viewing angle;

FIG. 42 illustrates demodulated signals for ten HPDLC element filterswhen subjected to a monochromatic light source;

FIG. 43 illustrates an hyperspectral imaging system using an exampleHPDLC tunable filter stack in conjunction with a McBeth color chart andshort pass and long pass filters;

FIG. 44 illustrates a graph depicting composite transmission spectra ofan example HPDLC tunable filter stack comprising five HPDLC filterelements, in conjunction with short and long pass filters;

FIGS. 45A-F illustrate images of the McBeth color chart acquired atdifferent wavelengths;

FIG. 46 illustrates a hyperspectral cube formed from hyperspectralimaging data acquired through an example HPDLC tunable filter stack viasequential switching;

FIG. 47 depicts reflectance extracted from the hyperspectral cube forthree different colors pink, red and yellow at varying wavelengths;

FIG. 48 depicts a hyperspectral imaging system that includes a hyperspectral imager comprising an HPDLC tunable filter stack, the hyperspectral imager mounted to a moving platform;

FIG. 49 depicts a switchable optical shielding system comprising anaviator helmet and a visor that utilizes at least one HPDLC tunablefilter stack, in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 50 depicts a switchable optical shielding system comprising anaircraft canopy that utilizes at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack,in accordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An optical filter constructed with holographic polymer dispersed liquidcrystal (HPDLC) elements, such as HPDLC films, can be configured to beswitchable between a light scattering state, wherein at least one, suchas a plurality of wavelengths of light incident upon the filter can berefracted and/or reflected by respective HPDLC elements of the filter,and a transparent or semitransparent state, wherein at least one, suchas a plurality of wavelengths of light incident upon the filter can passthrough the filter. Typical HPDLC filters are formed by exposing ahomogenous blend of photopolymer and liquid crystals sandwiched betweenIndium Tin oxide (ITO) coated glass slides-spaced a few microns apart,to light. Polymerization induced phase separation results in randomlyoriented nematic liquid crystal (LC) droplets trapped in the polymermatrix. The refractive index mismatch between the LC droplets and thepolymer matrix results in light scattering in the Rayleigh regime.

In an example configuration, the herein described HPDLC tunable filtercomprises a stack of HPDLC elements, wherein each element is designedfor reflecting a particular Bragg wavelength. In accordance with anexample embodiment, an HPDLC element can be fabricated, in part, by spincoating liquid crystals onto a glass or flexible substrate, as describedin more detail below. Each HPDLC element in the stack can beindividually biased between its respective scattering and transparentstates through application of a voltage. In this way, the HPDLC tunablefilter can be tuned, element by element, though the spectral range ofthe stack, allowing selected wavelengths of incident light to betransmitted through the stack. As described in more detail below, theHPDLC tunable filters described herein exhibit extremely fast biasswitching speeds, thereby allowing for a variety of real worldapplications, for example use in hyperspectral imaging, as described inmore detail below.

In accordance with one embodiment, an HPDLC tunable filter is formed byexposing a prepolymer mixture to a holographic interference patterngenerated using coherent laser beams. Diffusion kinetics of the polymerforce the liquid crystals (LC)s into the dark regions of theinterference pattern where they remain trapped as nematic droplets. Thisresults in a Bragg grating structure whose refractive index variesperiodically with the thickness of the cell. Depending on thefabrication geometry either diffraction or reflection gratings can befabricated.

In operation, application of an electric field (E-field) across theHPDLC tunable filter causes a reorientation torque across respective LCdroplets such that the LC droplets substantially align along thedirection of the applied E-field. This alignment essentially causes theLC droplets to align such that the ordinary refractive indices of thebirefringent nematic LC droplets substantially match that of thesurrounding polymer matrix, hence rendering respective HPDLC elements ofthe filter transparent or semitransparent relative to theircorresponding frequencies of light.

FIG. 1 depicts an example HPDLC tunable filter system. The illustratedHPDLC tunable filter system can include a number of components, such asan HPDLC tunable filter stack, an imaging lens, and focal plane array.In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, light from a scene ofinterest is incident upon the HPDLC stack comprising a series of HPDLCelements (e.g., HPDLC thin films) each designed for a different Braggwavelength. The HPDLC tunable filter can be used with the imaging lensand the focal plane array (FPA), for example, to acquire hyperspectralimaging data from the scene of interest. In such a scenario, the HPDLCtunable filter system operates as a hyperspectral imaging system. Thehyperspectral imaging data acquired can be used to assemble ahyperspectral data cube associated with the scene of interest, asdescribed in more detail below. Moreover, the HPDLC tunable filter canbe used, for example with the imaging lens and the focal plane array(FPA), in order to interface with imaging optics and/or other componentsthat can be used with the HPDLC tunable filter system. For example, seeFIG. 2, which depicts an example HPDLC tunable filter in conjunctionwith a grating spectrometer. FIG. 3 depicts another example HPDLCtunable filter in conjunction with a photo detector and controlelectronics.

In an example configuration, an HPDLC element is a periodic structurecomprising alternating polymer and liquid crystal (LC) droplet layerswhich create a Bragg grating. The period of the layers determines theBragg wavelength that is reflected; the number of layers determines thepassband or spectral resolution about the Bragg wavelength. Applying avoltage across the structure causes the LC droplets to rapidly rotatestate which alters the refractive index of the LC layers such that itmatches that of the polymer layers; this effectively negates the Bragggrating such that the Bragg wavelength is no longer reflected and infact transmits through the HPDLC element. The small size of the LCdroplets supports an extremely high switching speed on the order of 20microseconds (μs) to 10 nanoseconds (ns). A tunable filter is realizedwith a stack of HPDLC elements each designed for a different Braggwavelength and separated by the passbands of the HPDLC elements.

FIGS. 4A-B and 5A-B depict example spectral characteristics of anexample HPDLC tunable filter. When all elements are not biased (FIG.4A), each Bragg condition is in place and all Bragg wavelengths arereflected by the stack, and thus there is no transmission of lightthrough the stack. Applying a voltage across example elements, depictedas “a” and “b” in FIG. 4B, disrupts the Bragg condition in theseelements, and allows spectral resolution elements a and b to pass. Inoperation, a voltage applied to all elements therefore results in fulltransparency across the spectral range, and the unbiasing of selectelements results in the rejection of the corresponding Braggwavelengths. In this way, the filter can be tuned, element by element,though the spectral range of the stack. Alternatively and as a result ofthe extremely fast switching speed, each HPDLC element can be modulatedat a different frequency on the order of tens of kHz, thereby supportingthe ability to synchronously detect and demodulate each wavelength witha high update rate of the entire hyperspectral cube. In other words, theHPDLC tunable filter can spectrally multiplex.

In an example embodiment, an HPDLC tunable filter stack can befabricated by spin coating and photocuring individual layers ofprepolymer mixture, alternated by layers of conducting polymers. In thisfabrication technique, a layer of prepolymer mixed with liquid crystalsis spin coated on a glass or flexible substrate, coated with aconducting polymer, with a thickness of 20 microns, for example, andthen exposed to an interference pattern generated by a laser beam. ABragg grating is formed in the sample post exposure which reflects aparticular wavelength, hence forming a wavelength filter. Another layerof conductive polymer is spincoated or evaporated on top of this firstlayer, the conductive polymer layer configured for application of anelectric field. The combination of the exposed HPDLC and conductivelayer can be operated as a tunable filter, that is it can be switched,upon application of an electric field, between a reflecting state and atransparent or semitransparent state. Subsequent layers of HPDLC arespincoated on top of this layer, exposed to an interference pattern withdifferent respective pitches, along with corresponding layers ofconductive polymers, creating discrete HPDLC elements, sequentially toform a stack of HPDLC elements. The HPDLC element stack can beelectrically controlled, for example by application of particularvoltages, to reflect various wavelengths. In other words, each HPDLCfilter element in the stack can be electro-optically controlled.

Typical HPDLC element stacking techniques require two Indium Tin Oxide(ITO) coated glass substrates to fabricate one HPDLC filter element, andmultiple such filters elements can be affixed to one another in a filterstack using an index matching glue. Use of ITO is known to be veryexpensive and susceptible to mechanical fracture. The herein describedspin coating fabrication technique bypasses utilizes conductive polymersto separate HPDLC elements within the stack, eliminating the need tosandwich individual HPDLC elements between ITO coated glass slides andthe need to use index matching glue to construct the stack. The use ofconductive polymers as intermediate layers dramatically reduces theoptical path length of the HPDLC tunable filter stack without adverselyaffecting the electro-optic performance of the stack. Additionally,reduction in fresnel reflection due to elimination of the glasssubstrates can obviate the need to use anti-reflection coatings.Moreover, reduction in thickness of the composite stack reduceswavefront errors induced in the wavefront surface traversing through thestack. Small size makes it integratable in lab on-chip devices. Asdescribed in more detail below, the spin coating techniques describedherein can be scaled to varying production needs as desired.

FIG. 6 depicts an example system and process for generating HPDLC films.In an example embodiment utilizing the illustrated system, an HPDLC filmcan be created by starting with a homogeneous mixture of photosensitivemonomer and micron sized LC droplets. The mixture can be exposed to aninterference pattern, for instance a holographic interference patterngenerated by directing light from a source onto a prism, andsubsequently onto an HPDLC element. The light can be collimated (e.g.,with a focus at infinity). In accordance with the illustratedembodiment, the light source is a laser light emitter. Characteristicsof the beam of laser light can be tuned before the light reaches theHPDLC element, for example by passing the beam of light through a beamexpander. While the HPDLC element is exposed to the interferencepattern, LC droplets within the HPDLC element migrate to the lowintensity regions of the interference pattern and photopolymerization ofthe monomer occurs in the high intensity regions of the interferencepattern. The end result is a periodic structure of LC droplets andpolymer layers. In their nominal state, the symmetry axis of the LCdroplets are randomly oriented, which results in a refractive indexmismatch between the LC layers and polymer layers, and creates aDistributed Bragg Grating Reflector (DBR). For normal incidence, the DBRreflects the Bragg wavelength, λ_(B),

λ_(B)=2nΛ,  (1)

where n is the average refractive index of the grating and Λ is thegrating period, while passing all other wavelengths. Upon application ofa bias voltage, the LC droplets align along the direction of the field,resulting in a refractive index match with the adjacent polymer layerdue to birefringence of the LC material. This disrupts the Braggcondition and results in transmission of the Bragg wavelength along withall other wavelengths. The reflectivity, R, of the DBR is a function ofthe number of layers and refractive index difference,

$\begin{matrix}{R = \left\lbrack \frac{{n_{0}n_{2}^{({2N})}} - {n_{s}n_{1}^{({2N})}}}{{n_{0}n_{2}^{({2N})}} + {n_{s}n_{1}^{({2N})}}} \right\rbrack^{2}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

where n₀, n₁, n₂, and ns are the respective refractive indices of thesurrounding medium, the alternating layers, and the substrate material,and N is the number of layers. The bandwidth (passband) of the DBR is afunction of the refractive index difference,

$\begin{matrix}{{\Delta\lambda} = {\frac{4\lambda_{B}}{\pi} \cdot {\sin^{- 1}\left( \frac{n_{2} - n_{1}}{n_{2} + n_{1}} \right)}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

An HPDLC filter can be constructed by stacking a plurality of HPDLCelements, such as HPDLC films, each HPDLC element individually writtento reflect a different Bragg wavelength across the desired operatingwaveband band. By disposing HPDLC elements adjacent to one another inthe stack, for example in ascending order of Bragg wavelength, it ispossible to construct an HPDLC filter through which no light will betransmitted, across the passband, in the nominal state (i.e., when nobias voltage is applied to the filter), since each HPDLC element willselectively reflect a given portion of the wavelength range. Biasing anindividual HPDLC element within the stack, for example by applying anappropriate voltage, will result in transmission of the Bragg wavelengthfor that HPDLC element. Accordingly, an HPDLC filter constructed asdescribed herein can be selectively tuned to pass at least one, such asa plurality of individual wavelengths, for example through thesimultaneous application of voltages to respective ones of the HPDLCelements of the stack.

The small size of the LC droplets enables the HPDLC elements of theHPDLC filter stack to exhibit rapid switching response times, forexample between the reflective and transparent states, for example,approaching 20 μs. Rapid switching response times allows imaging datacollected through the HPDLC elements of the HPDLC filter to bespectrally multiplexed, or information to be collected for all theindividuals wavelengths simultaneously (in parallel). These effects canbe achieved by modulating each HPDLC element layer at a slightlydifferent frequency and then synchronously detecting each informationcomponent. Alternatively, the detected waveform can be digitized andFourier transformed (FFT) to retrieve the spectra, which can be moreefficient for a system with a large number of HPDLC elements.

FIG. 7 is depicts an example HPDLC tunable filter stack 10. In theexample configuration depicted in FIG. 7, the HPDLC tunable filter stack10 comprises a single glass substrate 12 and alternating conductivelayers 14 and holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal layers 16.The optical path length of the HPDLC tunable filter stack 10 isdramatically reduced relative to known HPDLC element stacks thatcomprise substrates sandwiching each respective HPDLC element becauseonly one substrate 12 is used as a stage to support multiple HPDLCelements. The number of discrete HPDLC elements that comprise the stack10 can be an appropriate number. For example, in an exampleconfiguration, the number of HPDLC elements is equal to or greater than40.

FIGS. 8A-B depict an example HPDLC element in the form of HPDLC thinfilm 100. The HPDLC film 100 contains phase separated compositionsformed under holographic conditions. The film 100 may comprise apre-polymer mixture made up of low molecular weight liquid crystals anda photo-curable monomer. An initiator(s) may be added to sensitize thepre-polymer mixture to a particular wavelength of laser light that willbe used during the formation process. A layer of the pre-polymer mixturemay be placed between AR-ITO coated glass substrates 102 spaced, forexample, 5 μm apart.

In an example formation process the pre-polymer mixture may beirradiated with one or more holographic interference patterns generatedby one or more laser light beams. The holographic interference patternsproduce high-light-intensity, or bright, regions and dark regions in thepre-polymer mixture. Irradiation of the pre-polymer mixture initiatespolymerization of the monomer, which in turn induces a phase separationbetween the polymer and liquid crystals. The rate of polymerization maybe approximately proportional to the square root of the light intensityfor one-photon polymerization. Therefore, the rate of polymerization maybe spatially dependent. During irradiation the monomer diffuses to thebright regions where it polymerizes. The liquid crystal remains in thedark regions and phase separates into small droplets in ordered,stratified layers. Polymer gelation locks the modulated structureindefinitely, resulting in liquid crystal droplet-rich areas where thedark fringes were, and essentially pure polymer regions where the lightfringes were. As a result, a periodic array of liquid crystal droplets104 and matrix polymer planes 106 may be produced, as depicted in FIG.8A and FIG. 8B. The index modulation between the liquid crystal andpolymer planes can be estimated from the index of refraction of theindividual components. It should be noted that FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B arenot to scale, that the number of layers of liquid crystal droplets andpolymer depicted therein are merely examples, and that the scope of theinstant disclosure should not be limited thereto. The reflectiongratings formed may be post-cured with a UV blanket for an interval, forexample 10 minutes, to react any unreacted monomers in the HPDLC medium.

The periodically repeating layers of polymer and liquid crystalscomprise Bragg gratings. A Bragg grating typically reflects a narrowpeak wavelength of light. The grating pitch, which is the width of oneadjacent polymer and liquid crystal layer, may be determined by thefollowing equation

${\Lambda = \frac{\lambda}{2n\; {Sin}\; \theta}},$

where λ is the wavelength of the incident laser light, n is theeffective refractive index of the polymer and liquid crystal composite,and θ is the angle with respect to the grating at which each of thelaser beams is made incident on the pre-polymer mixture. The reflectedBragg peak wavelength, which can also be determined from the aboveequation, is directly proportional to the grating pitch. Accordingly, tocreate broadband reflecting gratings, the angle of incidence of thecounter propagating beams may be taken into consideration in decidingthe reflected wavelength of the HPDLC.

An electric field may be applied across an HPDLC medium to control theintensity of the wavelength of light reflected from the HPDLC. Anelectric field transforms the HPDLC from a wavelength selective deviceto an optically transparent or semitransparent state, as depicted inFIG. 8B. Thus, if no field is applied, as depicted in FIG. 8A, the HPDLCwill reflect light at specific wavelengths corresponding to the Bragggrating(s) present in the HPDLC. When an electric field is applied, theliquid crystals in the HPDLC align with the direction of the field,making the HPDLC effectively transparent or semitransparent and allowinglight to travel through the HPDLC medium. In an example embodiment, theHPDLC medium has a narrow peak reflection wavelength with a full widthat half maximum (FWHM) varying typically from 5 to 20 nm and based onthe thickness of the Bragg grating.

In an example embodiment, the liquid crystals may be made of dielectricnematic liquid crystals, which orient in the direction of an externalelectric field applied to the HPDLC. The refractive index of nematicliquid crystal along the optic axis is called the extraordinaryrefractive index, represented as no, and the refractive indexperpendicular to it is called the ordinary refractive index, representedas no.

In an example HPDLC medium, in which the liquid crystal and polymerplanes are oriented approximately parallel to the substrates, theoperation of the Bragg gratings, serving as reflection gratings, aregoverned by the Bragg condition

λ=2

n

d

for normal incidence. Here, d is the layer thickness and <n> is theaverage refractive index of the grating which can be approximated by

n

≈φ _(P) n _(P)+φ_(LC) n _(LC)

where φ_(P) and φ_(LC) are the volume fraction of the polymer and liquidcrystal, respectively, and the average index of the liquid crystal maybe given by

$n_{LC} = {\sqrt{\frac{{2n_{o}^{2}} + n_{e}^{2}}{3}}.}$

A large refractive index modulation between the liquid crystal richplanes and the surrounding polymer planes may yield highdiffraction/reflection efficiency and low residual scattering when nofield is applied. If the ordinary refractive index of the liquidcrystal, n_(o), matches the refractive index of the polymer, n_(p), theHPDLC medium reverts to a transparent or semitransparent state (with thematerial optically homogeneous) upon the application of an electricfield, as depicted in FIG. 8B.

In order to effectuate transfer of an HPDLC medium by releasing a glasssubstrate from an HPDLC sample, thereby facilitating grating surfacemetrology, the surfaces of the glass substrates are treated prior toholographic exposure with a release agent (e.g., surfactants such asTween and Brix). Treatment with a release agent facilitates completeremoval of an HPDLC medium. Following holographic exposure, one glasssubstrate may be released from the HPDLC medium and HPDLC mediumremoved. The grating film may then be adhered to an index-matchedpolymeric substrate coated with an index-matched conducting substrateusing the same polymer employed in the grating matrix of the HPDLCmedium (e.g., acrylated urethane). An example substrate suited for thispurpose is poly-methyl-meth-acrylate (PMMA) coated with Baytron-Pconducting polymer, but other substrates may be used. The remainingglass substrate may then be similarly replaced with a second polymericsubstrate. If this process is repeated, an index matched completelypolymeric HPDLC medium stack may be formed. In an example process,hardening polymers (e.g., Norland Optical Adhesive 63 and/or 68) may beadded to the pre-polymer mixture, to increase the toughness of theresulting HPDLC medium.

HPDLC mediums formed using the methods and apparatus disclosed hereinoften demonstrate reflection efficiencies of 85-90%, switching fields ofapproximately 15-20 V/μm, and switching times less than 20 μs.Scattering intensities are typically less than 1×10⁷ dB outside thegrating reflection peak. Wavelength shifts are typically less than0.005λ, which may be measured using, for example, a Zygo white lightinterferometer.

Various grating characteristics of HPDLC mediums may be analyzed tooptimize performance. For example, the uniformity of the wavelengthreflection peak can be determined. The exposed HPDLC medium may beanalyzed using a spectra-radiometer to measure reflection properties ofthe gratings in multiple locations to ensure uniformity in the exposureprocess. Other parameters to be examined within each measurement mayinclude wavelength peak, reflection intensity, spatial uniformity, andthe like. In another example, the wavefront may be analyzed. Maintainingthe wavefront properties of individual wave packets as they interactwith the reflecting film ensures accurate measurement at the detector.In yet another example, HPDLC mediums may be examined using a whitelight interferometer, for example, to measure scatter. Scattering ofreflected and transmitted light may result in stray measurements andnoise at the detector. This scattering effect may be characterized andcompared to scatter effects from existing reflective technologies inorder to mitigate or minimize the effect. In yet another example,electro-optic switching properties of an HPDLC medium can be analyzed.This may be accomplished with the use of a spectra-radiometer andhigh-voltage (e.g., ˜100V pp) switching setup, for example. When ahigh-frequency (e.g., 1 kHz) oscillating wave is applied to an HPDLCmedium, the liquid crystal droplets align, effectively ‘washing out’ theBragg grating. This enables partial switching of the entire grating,which can be used to ‘grayscale’ or vary the intensity of the grating.An HPDLC medium may be analyzed for uniformity in color purity,intensity, focal length and direction, and polarization during dynamicswitching and grayscale switching.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-10, an example method for fabricating an HPDLCelement stack, for instance the HPDLC tunable filter stack 10 depictedin FIG. 7, is described. More specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates anexample flow diagram for fabricating an HPDLC element stack. FIG. 10illustrates an example spin coating apparatus 200 that can be utilizedto fabricate an HPDLC element stack, such as the HPDLC tunable filterstack 10. Reference is made below of carrying out various steps of thefabrication method illustrated in FIG. 9 utilizing components of thespin coating apparatus 200. However, it should be appreciated thatfabrication of the HPDLC tunable filter 10 via the steps of illustratedin FIG. 9 need not be carried out utilizing the spin coating apparatus200, and that the HPDLC tunable filter 10 can alternatively befabricated via the steps of illustrated in FIG. 9 and using any othersuitable fabrications apparatus, as desired.

The illustrated spin coating apparatus, or spin coating system 200comprises a vessel 202 having a detachable lid 204. The illustrated lid204 is removable from the vessel 202, but could be alternativelyconfigured as a lid 204 that is openable and closeable relative to thevessel 202, for example by hinging the lid 204 with respect to theopening at the top of the vessel 202. It should be appreciated that thespin coating system 200 is not limited to the illustrated cylindricallyshaped vessel 202 and lid 204, and that the vessel 202 and lid 204 canbe alternatively constructed defining any other suitable geometry asdesired.

One or more additional components of the spin coating system 200 can bedisposed within the vessel 202. For instance, the illustrated spincoating system 200 further comprises a rotatable stage 206 configured tobe disposed into the vessel 202. In accordance with the illustratedembodiment, the stage 206 comprises a cylindrical platform 208 that isconfigured to have a substrate, such as the substrate 12, releasablysecured thereto. The platform 208 is supported by the upper end of arotatable shaft 210. The lower end of the shaft 210 can be coupled to asource of rotational force, such as a motor which can be disposed intothe vessel 202 or located externally from the vessel 202 and coupled tothe shaft 210 via a mechanical linkage. The motor can transmit arotational force to the shaft 210, which in turn transmits therotational force to the platform 208, thus causing the stage 206 torotate. The speed of rotation (e.g., the RPM) and/or the direction ofrotation of the stage 206 can be controlled, for instance via a motorspeed control manually operated by a user of the spin coating system200, electronically controlled, for instance by a software program, orby any combination thereof. In accordance with the illustratedembodiment, the stage 206 is substantially centered relative to thelower end of the vessel 202, but could be otherwise located within thevessel 202 as desired. The shaft 210 defines a height such that theplatform 208 is accessible, for example to allow placement or removal ofthe substrate 12, when the lid 204 of the vessel is removed and/or open.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the lid 204 defines atleast one, such as a plurality of ports 212 extending therethrough. Thelid 204 further comprises at least one, such as a plurality ofdispensers 214, each dispenser 214 configured to be disposed within acorresponding one of the plurality of ports 212. Each of the dispensers214 can be configured to dispense material into the vessel 202 and inparticular onto the substrate 12. For instance, in accordance with theillustrated embodiment, a first dispenser 214 a of the plurality can beconfigured to dispense the conductive polymer described elsewhereherein. A second dispenser 214 b of the plurality can be configured todispense the prepolymer mixture described elsewhere herein. Theillustrated dispensers 214 a, 214 b, are disposed into correspondingports 212 along respective trajectories that are offset with respect tothe axis of rotation of the stage 208, such that respective tip 216 a,216 b of each dispenser 214 a, 214 b, is disposed above substantiallythe center of the substrate 12. The dispensers 214 a, 214 b can beconfigured to dispense pre-determined amounts of their respectivematerials at pre-determined intervals, as described in more detailbelow. It should be appreciated that the spin coating system 200 is notlimited to the illustrated number and/or placement of dispensers 214,and that the spin coating system 200 can alternatively be provided withany number and/or configuration of dispensers 214 as desired.

The spin coating system 200 can further comprise a light emittingassembly 218. Although the illustrated light emitting assembly 218comprises a laser light emitter 220 configured to emit a laser beam 222,it should be appreciated that the light emitting assembly 218 canfurther comprise one or more devices configured to modifycharacteristics of the laser beam 222, such as beam expanders, lenses,beam splitters, or the like. It should be appreciated that the spincoating system 200 is not limited to a single light source asillustrated, and a plurality of light emitting assemblies 218 can beprovided, as desired.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the light emittingassembly 218 can be provided separate from the vessel 202, such that thebeam 222 emitted by the light emitting assembly 218 is directed into anaperture extending into the vessel 202. Alternatively, the lightemitting assembly 218 can be integral with the vessel 202 or the lid204, as desired. In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, thelaser beam 222 is redirected within the vessel, for example via the useof mirrors, beams splitters, or the like, such that the beam 222 isincident upon a prism, thereby creating an interference pattern to becreated within material (e.g., prepolymer mixture) dispersed on thesubstrate 12, so as to form Bragg gratings, for example as describedabove with reference to FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 9, and 10, at step 18, a substrate 12 ispositioned. The substrate 12 can be positioned in any appropriatemechanism for fabricating the HPDLC tunable filter stack 10. Forexample, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 12can be secured to the upper surface of the platform 208. The substrate12 can comprise any appropriate material. For instance the substrate 12can be glass, such as a 3 mm thick glass slide. At step 20, a layer ofconductive material (e.g., conductive layer 14) is applied to theexposed surface of the substrate 12, for example by dispensing theconductive material from dispenser 214 a. The conductive layer cancomprise any appropriate material. For example, the conductive layer cancomprise a conductive polymer. Example conductive polymers includePEDOT:PTS and PDOT:PSS.

At step 22, the conductive layer can be dispersed along the exposed, orupper surface of the substrate 12. For example, a portion of conductivematerial dispensed onto the substrate 12 by the dispenser 214 a can becaused to disperse by applying a rotational force to the substrate 12.That is, the conductive material can be dispersed along the uppersurface of the substrate 12 by rotating, or spinning the stage 208 at anappropriate speed. The rotational force can be applied to the substrate12 by applying a rotational force to the stage 208, which in turnimparts the rotational force to the substrate 12 secured to the stage208.

It may desirable to vary the speed of rotation of the stage 208 duringdispersal of the conductive material. For example, the stage 208 may berotated at a first speed for a first interval of time, and rotated at asecond speed for a second interval of time. The stage 208 can initiallybe rotated at a first pre-determined speed to cause an initial dispersalrate of the conductive material along the surface of the substrate 12.As the conductive material spreads radially further from the center ofthe substrate 12, the speed of rotation of the stage 208 can beincreased, for instance to the second speed, to ensure that theconductive material continues to disperse at an even rate over thesurface of the substrate 12, thereby ensuring a conductive materiallayer of substantially uniform thickness along the exposed surface ofthe substrate 12. In other words, the stage 208 can be rotated at afirst speed for a first interval of time and at a second speed for asecond interval of time. Alternatively, the speed at which the stage 208is rotated can be uniform or varied between a first speed that is fasterthan a second speed, or the stage 208 can be rotated at more than twodiscrete speeds, such as three speeds, etc.

In an example embodiment, dispenser 214 a can be configured to dispensea quantity of conductive material sufficient to be spun to anapproximately 200 nm thick layer. Alternatively the conductive materialcan be applied to the substrate 12 and allowed to disperse on its own,without spinning the stage 208. At step 24, the conductive layer iscured. The conductive layer can be cured in any appropriate manner. Forexample, the conductive layer can be heated, the conductive layer can beallowed to evaporate on the exposed surface, the conductive layer canundergo controlled evaporation in a gas evaporation chamber, or thelike. The stage 208 can come to rest during curing of the conductivelayer, for example through application of a braking force counter to thedirection of rotation, or by allowing the stage 208 to come to restafter ceasing application of the rotational force to the stage 208.Alternatively, application of the rotational force to the stage 208 canbe maintained during curing of the conductive layer.

At step 26, a material comprising a prepolymer mixed with liquidcrystals (e.g., the prepolymer mixture that, upon exposure, becomesholographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer 16) is applied to theexposed surface of the conductive layer (e.g., conductive layer 14), forexample by dispensing the conductive material from dispenser 214 b. Atstep 28, the prepolymer mixture is dispersed along the conductive layer.For example, a portion of prepolymer mixture dispensed onto thesubstrate 12 by the dispenser 214 b can be caused to disperse byapplying a rotational force to the substrate 208. That is, theconductive material can be dispersed along the upper surface of thesubstrate 12 by rotating, or spinning the stage 208 at an appropriatespeed. The rotational force can be applied to the substrate 12 byapplying a rotational force to the stage 208, which in turn imparts therotational force to the substrate 12 secured to the stage 208. Thissecond rotational force applied to the stage 208 to disperse theprepolymer mixture can be of the same or different magnitude as thefirst rotational force applied to the stage 208 at step 22 to causedispersal of the conductive material.

It may desirable to vary the speed of rotation of the stage 208 duringdispersal of the prepolymer mixture. For example, the stage 208 may berotated at a first speed for a first interval of time, and rotated at asecond speed for a second interval of time. The stage 208 can initiallybe rotated at a first pre-determined speed to cause an initial dispersalrate of the prepolymer mixture along the surface of the conductivematerial layer. As the prepolymer mixture spreads radially further fromthe center of conductive material layer, the speed of rotation of thestage 208 can be increased, for instance to the second speed, to ensurethat the prepolymer mixture continues to disperse at an even rate overthe surface of the conductive material layer, thereby ensuring aprepolymer mixture layer of substantially uniform thickness along theexposed surface of the conductive material layer. In other words, thestage 208 can be rotated at a first speed for a first interval of timeand at a second speed for a second interval of time. Alternatively, thespeed at which the stage 208 is rotated can be uniform or varied betweena first speed that is faster than a second speed, or the stage 208 canbe rotated at more than two discrete speeds, such as three speeds, etc.The prepolymer mixture can thus be spun to form a coating of apolymer/LC, mixture material on the previous layer (e.g., the previouslyformed conductive layer 14). In an example embodiment, dispenser 214 bcan be configured to dispense a quantity of prepolymer mixturesufficient to be spun to an approximately 20 micron thick layer.Alternatively, the prepolymer mixture can be applied and allowed tospread on its own, without spinning the stage 208. As describe above,the stage 208 can come to rest between application of the first andsecond rotational forces.

At step 30, the prepolymer mixture is cured to form a polymer layer. Forexample, the prepolymer mixture can be exposed to a holographicinterference pattern and photo-cured, as described above, to obtain anHPDLC element having the aforementioned optical properties associatedwith a specific wavelength. That is, exposure to the holographicinterference pattern can cause a grating structure that reflects aparticular wavelength, such as a Bragg grating, to be formed in themixture (i.e., in the polymer layer). In accordance with the illustratedembodiment, the stage 208 is static during the curing process.Alternatively, the stage could continue spinning, and the interferencepattern dynamically varied in accordance with creating the desired Bragggrating in the cured polymer layer.

At step 32, an additional layer of conductive material (e.g., conductivelayer 14) can be applied to the exposed surface of the cured polymerlayer (i.e., the mixture), such that the grating structure formed in thepolymer layer is coated with the conductive material, such that anelectric field (E-field) can be applied to the polymer layer. Theadditional, or second layer of conductive material can be applied asdescribed above with reference to step 20. At step 34, the second layerof conductive material can be dispersed along the cured polymer layer,for example by applying a third rotational force to the stage 208 (i.e.,spinning the stage 208) as described above with reference to step 22. Atstep 36, the dispersed additional layer of conductive material can becured, for instance as described above with reference to step 24.

At step 38, it can be determined whether the HPDLC element stack iscomplete, that is if the HPDLC element stack comprises the desirednumber of alternating conductive and polymer layers. If, at step 38, itis determined that the HPDLC element stack is complete, the process endsat step 40, and a second substrate, such as a glass slide, can beaffixed to the exposed layer of the HPDLC stack. If, at step 38, it isdetermined that the HPDLC element stack is not complete, the processproceeds to step 26 to fabricate additional conductive and polymerlayers. By repeating steps 26 to 36, an HPDLC tunable filter can befabricated. The characteristics of the resulting HPDLC tunable filter,for instance the spectrum of wavelengths that can be reflected by thefilter, can be configured by exposing each polymer layer with aninterference patterns designed to create an appropriate Bragg grating,during photocuring of each polymer layer, respectively.

The resulting HPDLC tunable filter can comprise an HPDLC tunable filterstack, more specifically a stack of HPDLC thin film filter elements. TheHPDLC tunable filter stack can comprise alternating conducting andpolymer layers, such that a first HPDLC thin film filter element abuts afirst surface of an intervening conductive layer and a second HPDLC thinfilm filter element abuts an opposed second surface of the interveningconductive layer. The HPDLC thin film filter elements at opposed upperand lower ends of the stack can be disposed adjacent respective glasssubstrates, as described elsewhere herein, such that each HPDLC thinfilm filter element of the stack abuts a surface of a conductive element(e.g., a layer of conductive material) disposed adjacent to the HPDLCthin film filter element within the stack. Thus, the HPDLC tunablefilter stack can comprise a stack of HPDLC tunable filter thin films andconductive elements.

Although the aforementioned fabrication techniques include spin coatingand natural evaporation, it is to be understood that other appropriatefabrication techniques can be utilized. For example, a Langmuir troughcan be utilized to fabricate films for the HPDLC tunable filter stack.

It should be appreciated that the herein described HPDLC element stacksneed not be created using the above described spin coating techniques,and that the HPDLC element stacks can alternatively be fabricated usingother suitable processes. For example, FIG. 11 depicts fabricating anHPDLC tunable filter stack using a Langmuir trough 42. Layers of anHPDLC tunable filter stack to be fabricated, depicted as layer 1, layer2, layer 3, layer 4, and layer 5, in FIG. 11, can be fabricatedindividually. Each layer fabrication compartment, confined by thebarrier seals (and the edge of the Langmuir trough for the endcompartments), can be used to fabricate a desired type of layer. Forexample, the layer fabrication compartment in which layer 1 is placedcan be filled with the appropriate conductive material and allowed toevaporate. The layer fabrication compartment in which layer 2 is placedcan be filled with the appropriate polymer/LC mixture material andallowed to evaporate. The layer fabrication compartment in which layer 3is placed can be filled with the conductive material and allowed toevaporate. The layer fabrication compartment in which layer 4 is placedcan be filled with the appropriate polymer/LC mixture material andallowed to evaporate. And the layer fabrication compartment in whichlayer 5 is placed can be filled with the conductive material and allowedto evaporate. The appropriate polymer/LC mixture material layers can beexposed to respective interference patterns and optically cured toobtain respective desired Bragg gratings, and the resulting conductiveand cured polymer layers can be positioned on a glass substrate to forman HPDLC tunable filter stack. For example, the layer sections can befolded to form a layered stack comprising alternate conductive layersand HPDLC layers, and can be placed on a glass substrate to form anHPDLC tunable filter stack.

FIG. 12 depicts an alternative example of fabricating an HPDLC tunablefilter stack using a Langmuir trough 44. The Langmuir trough can befilled with an appropriate polymer/LC mixture material 48. A conductivelayer 46 can be pulled through the material 48. As the conductive layer46 is being pulled from the material 48, individual layer sections canbe optically cured (as depicted by the laser in FIG. 12) to achieve adesired Bragg wavelength. For example, alternate layer sections can beoptically cured. Upon completion of the optical curing of the desirednumber of layer sections, the layer sections can be folded to form alayered stack comprising alternate conductive layers and HPDLC layers,and can be placed on a glass substrate to form an HPDLC tunable filterstack.

Electrical and/or optical characteristics of HPDLC elements can be atleast partially determined based upon, for example, the composition ofthe prepolymer mixture, the conductive polymer used in between polymerlayers, and/or the equipment and techniques employed during fabricationof the HPDLC elements. For example, 30 to 50 mm clear aperture HPDLCelements exhibiting uniform reflection efficiency across the aperturearea can be fabricated by passing the laser beam (e.g., laser beam 222)through a high power pinhole to achieve flat wavefronts and by expandingthe beam waist to 50 mm using a high power beam expander. A high powersingle mode 533 nm laser with a peak tunable output of 10 W can be usedas a source to achieve a uniform illumination of 200 mW/cm² across theaperture since the photo-polymerization of HPDLC is sensitive togradients. The total internal reflection phenomenon from a prism can bethe source of an interference pattern which can be recorded in the HPDLCelement. Changing the angle of incidence of the beam on the prismenables fabrication of HPDLC elements configured to reflect at variouswavelengths. HPDLC elements capable of reflecting in the range of 400 nmto 600 nm can be fabricated using a high power continuous wave (CW)laser radiating at 355 nm and HPDLC elements capable of reflecting inthe range 600 nm to 800 nm can be fabricated using a high power CW laserradiating at 533 nm.

Further, HPDLC elements exhibiting reflection efficiencies 70% andbeyond, and exhibiting minimized band scattering, can be fabricated. Inan example embodiment, a reduction in off band scattering can beachieved by increasing reflection efficiency. For example, introducing ahigh dielectric anisotropy MLC 6240 000 (Δ∈=35, γ=65 cp) into the BL038(Δ∈=16.9, γ=72 cp) LC system that phase separates into the LC richregions forming smaller droplets than the critical size of scatteringcan in turn improve the reflection efficiency by increasing the indexmodulation between the LC rich and polymer rich regions. The reflectionefficiency is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{\eta = \frac{{\kappa }^{2}{\sinh^{2}({sL})}}{{s^{2}{\cosh^{2}({sL})}} + {\left( \frac{\Delta\beta}{2} \right){\sinh^{2}({sL})}}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

In the above equation (4) since efficiency is proportional to

$\begin{matrix}{{\kappa = \frac{2\pi \; n_{1}n_{o}\Lambda}{\lambda^{2}}},} & (5)\end{matrix}$

incrementing ∈ in n₁=√∈μ directly improves the reflection efficiency.

Additionally, reflection efficiency band scattering can be improved byfabricating a combination of alternating pure LC and polymer layers andHPDLC while maintaining polarization insensitivity using theaforementioned fabrication technique.

Various techniques can enhance the viewing angle of HPDLC elements andmitigate blue shift in the reflected wavelength observed at angles ofincidence other than normal to the grating vector. For example, asdepicted in FIG. 13, this limitation can bypassed by adding a curvatureto the grating, where the degree of curvature controls the view angle ofthe HPDLC element. This technique is akin to concentric spheres wherethe distance between the surfaces of two consecutive spheres isequivalent to the grating pitch and the light incident from anydirection on such a structure sees a constant grating pitch rather thana variable one as in case of conventional gratings. Fabricating HPDLCelements using curved substrates can help to impart the gratingcurvature to the incident wavefront, and thus minimize any path lengthmismatch.

Switching response times and/or the switching voltage of HPDLC elementscan be reduced by improving the electro-optic properties of the polymerlayers of HPDLC elements, for instance by introducing dopants into theprepolymer mixture. For example, in an example embodiment, switchingtimes can be reduced and response times can be reduced by addingpredetermined amounts of carbon based nanoparticles to the HPDLCprepolymer mixture before hologram recording. During the process ofphase separation carbon based nanoparticles can become trapped in thepolymer matrix and act as physical barriers to the counter diffusingLC's, preventing coalesce, thereby reducing the droplet size, andimparting conductivity to the polymer matrix. The equation belowexplains the reduction in switching voltage.

$\begin{matrix}{V_{c} = {\frac{d_{o}}{3a}\left( {\frac{\sigma_{LC}}{\sigma_{{polymer} + {mwnt}}} + 2} \right)\left( \frac{K\left( {l^{2} + 1} \right)}{ɛ_{o}{\Delta ɛ}} \right)^{1/2}}} & (6)\end{matrix}$

A change in conductivity enhances the E-field across the LC droplet inaccordance with:

$\begin{matrix}{E_{LC} = {E_{appl}\left( \frac{3\sigma_{{polumer} + {mwnt}}}{{2\sigma_{{polymer} + {mwnt}}} + \sigma_{LC}} \right)}} & (7)\end{matrix}$

Moreover, addition of optimal amounts of a conductive polymer such asthe commercially available PEDOT:PSS, can reduce the switching voltagesof HPDLC elements, and can improve the switching response of HPDLCelements in accordance with the above equations.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an example optical filter system intowhich an HPDLC tunable filter stack can be incorporated. In an exampleembodiment the system depicted in FIG. 14 can comprise four operatingmodes: unipolar mode (simultaneous mode), step mode, bipolar mode, andexternal mode. In unipolar mode, HPDLC element can be switched on andoff at a unique frequency. Spectral amplitude data can be extracted fromthe detected digitized signal using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). Instep mode, each HPDLC element can be switched on sequentially. Spectralamplitude can be extracted by storing the detected signal at the end ofthe on time pulse. The step pulse width can be determined by the opticalfilter characteristics. In an example configuration, the step pulse is100 μs. In bipolar mode, an HPDLC element can be driven with a bipolarsquare wave, resulting in the HPDLC element being turned on continuously(DC). Detected data can be processed by averaging the digitized output.In the external mode all enabled HPDLC elements can be driven by anexternal frequency applied to a connector. Each of the HPDLC elements inthe HPDLC tunable filter stack can have separate enable commands.

In an example embodiment, the controller depicted in the optical filtersystem shown in FIG. 14 can receive commands from and send data to auser pc via a USB port. The controller can reformat commands and senddata to a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The controller cancomprise any appropriate controller, such as a microcontroller designbased on the TI TMS320F2812, for example.

The FPGA can receive commands from the controller, and send commands toat least one, such as a plurality of high voltage amplifiers. In theexample system depicted in FIG. 14, there are 40 high voltage amplifierscorresponding, respectively, to 40 HPDLC elements. A high frequencyclock can be divided to create forty unique frequencies for the unipolarmode. The frequency values can be determined by system analysis. In anexample configuration, the FPGA generates ten frequencies between 1 kHzand 2 kHz. A parallel bus can be used to receive commands from, and senddata to the controller.

A data acquisition card can be used to acquire an analog signal from anamplified silicon photodiode and to extract spectral data using varioustechniques such as fast Fourier transform for the unipolar mode, orsample and hold for the step mode. A camera can be used forhyperspectral imaging. The image acquisition scheme can comprise anyappropriate image acquisition scheme, such as Firewire or USB2interface, for example.

In an example configuration, the high voltage amplifiers can drive theHPDLC elements (i.e., optical filters) with square waves of 0 to HV(unipolar and step modes), or +/−HV square waves (bipolar mode). Thevalue of HV can be determined by the filter characteristics, and, in anexample configuration is about 150 volts. In another exampleconfiguration, the amplifier can be replicated in an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC). An ASIC with at least 10 amplifiercircuits can meet the long term goal of a compact instrument. The designcan use high voltage switching transistors and resistors. Switchingvoltage can be determined by the high voltage power supply.

A processing architecture of the system can accept system controlcommands from a PC compatible interface (RS232, PCI, or USB) and canaccomplish those commands via an FPGA-controlled HPDLC tunable filterstack. The commands can select the mode of operation (e.g.,simultaneous, step, bipolar, or external) and/or which filter, filters,or filter ranges to enable in each mode. An example processingarchitecture comprises a Texas Instruments TMS320F2812microController/DSP, as illustrated in FIG. 15. The TMS320F2812 DSP has32-bit, fixed-point DSP core, up to 150 MIPS operation (millions ofinstructions per seconds), 1.9V core and 3.3V peripherals, a completesoftware development package, a C Compiler/Assembler/Linker, real-timedebugging, 128 Kbytes of Flash for embedded autonomous operation, 16Kbytes of RAM for fast execution speeds, standard UART serial portinterface for PC communication, 56 Programmable I/O lines foruser-defined I/O control/status, and 16 channel, 12.5 MHz A/D dataacquisition capability.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of an example implementation of the TMS320F2812within the above-described system. The system in FIG. 16 illustratesexample interconnects between the microController/DSP and externaldevices (protocol, data components, and rates), defining softwarecomponents required for the programs, and updating throughput and sizingestimates. The Serial Communication Interface (SCI) can be used toaccept mode/filter selection commands from the user. The externalinterface (XINT) can be used to communicate these commands to the FPGAfor implementation using the HPDLC tunable filter stack. During debugand testing, the developed software can be loaded and executed via theJTAG interface to allow for the full suite of debugging/analysis optionsavailable from Texas Instruments Integrated Development Environment(IDE) to be utilized. Subsequently, all program code and data can bestored in the on-chip flash memory to be executed autonomously on powerup. Any time-critical software identified during development can betransferred from flash to RAM on power up to increase throughputmargins. A 33.1776 MHz clock can be used to drive the processor. A bankof LEDs and hex digital display can be made available via an externalmemory interface with address and data lines for debug purposes.

The HPDLC tunable filter stack can be used in a variety of applications.For example, the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be utilized to form alightweight mirror with electronically switchable focal points forremote sensing. HPDLC mediums may be stacked in one configuration ofsuch a mirror. Electrically switchable thin-film polymeric mirror stacksexhibit good optical characteristics and typically only weigh severalpounds, even when including drive electronics. In an exampleconfiguration, each layer of the mirror stack comprises a sphericallycurved Bragg grating with a focal point independent from the otherlayers. This configuration enables such applications as electricallyrefocused virtual mirrors for instrument clustering.

Broadband HPDLC mirror stacks may be constructed by forming, forexample, 5 cm diameter broadband HPDLC reflecting mirrors, andlaminating them together. One laminating technique that may be used inthe construction of a mirror stack comprises gluing the HPDLC mirrorfilms together using optical adhesive. To adhere multiple HPDLC mirrorfilms together using optical adhesive, the HPDLC mirror films may beformed on traditional ITO-coated glass substrates, and may be laminatedinto a stack using optical adhesive. An example of a suitable adhesiveis Norland Optical Adhesive 71, as it possesses several advantageouscharacteristics, for example UV optical curing that permits precisealignment with no time pressure, very low absorption in the visiblewavelength regime resulting in low optical transmission loss, and indexof refraction matching the glass substrates, but other adhesives may beused.

Another technique for laminating HPDLC mirror films together to form amirror stack involves transferring the HPDLC mirror films (afterholographic exposure) to index matched polymeric substrates coated withconducting layers, thereby reducing optical losses through the stack.The HPDLC mirror stack laminating techniques disclosed herein are merelyexamples. Alternative laminating techniques may be obvious to thoseskilled in the art, and are meant to be included within the scope ofthis disclosure.

An example application of electrically-switchable thin-film polymericmirrors lies in the optics systems of satellites. A significant limitingfactor for satellite design is overall weight, particularly therelatively heavy optics associated with the primary mirrors typicallyused in satellites for collecting and focusing light on instrumentation,for example cameras, spectrometers, and the like. Additional designconsiderations include potential complications and weight associatedwith mechanically-operated beam steering optics typically necessary toutilize multiple instruments with a single primary collection mirror.Current state-of-the-art satellite optics technology employs polishedaluminum mirrors, weighing up to several hundred pounds for a one-meterdiameter mirror. Cost per pound of payload launched into low earth orbittypically places severe restrictions on the size and extent of lightcollection devices that can be included on specific missions. The hereindescribed electrically-switchable thin-film polymeric mirrors may allowclustering of multiple scientific instruments around a singlelightweight primary mirror and redirection of the focal point of themirror to individual instruments, using devices that do not requiremoving parts.

In another example application, an HPDLC tunable filter stack can beused to perform hyperspectral imaging. A shortcoming of knownhyperspectral imagers is that typically each spectral resolution elementis acquired in series, with the integration time associated with theacquisition of each spectral resolution comprising only a small fractionof the total hyperspectral cube acquisition time. Because the hereindescribed HPDLC elements exhibit rapid switching response times, imagingdata can be collected through the HPDLC elements of the HPDLC filterstack in a spectrally multiplexed fashion. In other words, imaging datacan be collected through each of the HPDLC elements simultaneously. Thecapability to rapidly tune between and/or through the spectral bandsenables the HPDLC tunable filter stack to be deployed in circumstanceswhere known hyperspectral imaging devices exhibit limited capabilities,for instance hyperspectral imaging from a moving platform such as anaircraft. The HPDLC tunable filter stack can overcome these limitations.For example, the ability of the HPDLC tunable filter stack to rapidlyacquire the hyperspectral cube minimizes artifacts due to the motion ofan object during the acquisition. An ideal switching rate betweenspectral bands for such an application is less than 1 ms.

Hyperspectral imaging systems can produce a continuous spectrum of lightwhich can define the chemical composition of the scene elements viatheir spectral signatures. Example applications of hyperspectral imagingusing the HPDLC tunable filter stack include, but are not limited to:surveillance and/or remote sensing from a moving platform includingairborne, for instance the airborne detection of activities associatedwith the production of weapons of mass destruction; time resolvedbiological measurements; ranging (e.g., photon-counting MCP/CDL imager);particle scattering measurements; mine detection; defeating camouflage,concealment, and deception (CC&D); agricultural assessment and mapping,oil, gas, and mineral exploration; natural hazard detection (e.g., oilspills, floods, forest fires, volcanoes); coastal mapping (e.g.,phytoplankton detection, ocean color, river deltas, iceberg tracking);and environmental detection (e.g., air pollution, opacity monitoring).

FIG. 17 is a table depicting performance characteristics of an exampleHPDLC tunable filter stack fabricated in accordance with the hereindescribed methods and techniques. Acceptance angles beyond 45 degreesare supported by the HPDLC tunable filter stack. An example HPDLCtunable filter stack spanning approximately the 500 to 800 nm spectralrange exhibits a switching speed of 20 μs, an ability to modulate atfrequencies up to 40 kHz, an ability to perform synchronous detectionwith ten separate spectral channels, a spectral resolution of betterthan 10 nm, a reflection efficiency (equating to throughput) of 60%, andan electro-optic response time of 20 μs, with a filter aperture of about20 mm to 30 mm. The example HPDLC tunable filter stack can be fabricatedusing acrylate materials, thiolene materials, or the like.

The HPDLC tunable filter stack can support different modes of operationdepending, for instance, upon the filter driving electronics employed todrive the HPDLC tunable filter stack. A first mode of operation of theHPDLC tunable filter stack can be a unipolar mode that comprises a0-100V, 50% duty cycle square wave at selectable drive frequency across1-2 kHz. This operation mode can provide parallel collection of spectraldata (i.e., spectral multiplexing where synchronous detection can beprovided for each channel). A field programmable gate array (FPGA) canbe used to provide square wave inputs to the synchronous detectioncircuits that are in phase or quadrature with the drive signal, allowingin phase or quadrature components of the detected signal to be measured.The synchronous detection outputs can be filtered by a 2 pole low passfilter with a bandwidth of 50 Hz.

A second mode of operation of the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be abipolar mode that comprises a ±100V, 50% duty cycle square wave atselectable drive frequency across 1-2 kHz. This operation mode canprovide DC operation (full transparency) of an individual HPDLC filterelement. DC operation can enable analysis of HPDLC filtercharacteristics (transmission, resolution) with a conventional COTSspectrometer.

A third mode of operation of the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be astep mode that comprises a 100V, 500 microsecond pulse appliedsequentially to each HPDLC filter element. This operation mode canprovide operation with a high bandwidth detector such as the singlephoton detection RULLI sensor system technology. Sample and holdcircuits can provide a triggered output for each channel. The pulseduration can be modified to accommodate slower or faster requirements.

A fourth mode of operation of the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be anexternal mode comprising a TTL square wave input. This operation modecan provide the ability to externally drive an HPDLC filter with afunction generator.

FIG. 18 depicts a breadboard system that can be used to evaluate theHPDLC tunable filter stack. Various light sources can be used to testthe HPDLC tunable filter stack, for instance a monochromatic laseroperating at 532 nm or a polychromatic tungsten lamp. The light sourcescan be directed through the HPDLC filters and then separated foranalysis using a pair of beam splitters. The sources can be operatedindependently. The laser can be used to measure the frequency responseof the HPDLC tunable filter stack and crosstalk between HPDLC filterelements. The white light source can be used to measure the resolutionand transmission of the HPDLC tunable filter stack.

A silicon photodiode, such as a Siemens BPX65, 1 mm square active area,can be used for light detection. The photodiode can be installed on anelectronics pre-amplifier board that includes a transimpedance amplifierfor converting the diode current signal to a voltage. This board can beintegrated with the above-described drive and detection electronicscustom controller. The drive and electronics board can support theabove-described modes of operation and can provide a number of outputs,including but not limited to: synchronous detection wherein the outputsof up to ten HPDLC filter channels after synchronous detection can beprovided on a separate connector, the signals sampled in unipolar mode;sample and hold wherein sampled outputs of up to ten HPDLC filterchannels can be provided on a separate connector, the signals sampled inthe step mode; and modulated signals wherein the photodiode signal afteramplification can be provided on a separate connector, the signalcontaining the multiplexed output of the HPDLC filter elements. In anexample embodiment, modulated signals mode can acquire data via a dataacquisition system and perform a fast Fourier transform to extract thespectral information.

A spectrometer, such as an Ocean Optics USB2000 COTS gratingspectrometer, can be used for spectral analysis in the static bipolarmode. The spectrometer software can provide both data acquisition andanalysis of the spectra via a USB port. The spectrometer operates from350 to 850 nm (50% average efficiency in the visible) and has a 25 μmslit that provides a 1.23 nm spectral resolution.

The breadboard hardware can be used to make a variety of measurementsincluding but not limited to response time, transmission, reflectionefficiency, wavelength range, and spectral resolution. The laser can beused as the light source. A filter matching the laser wavelength can bedriven with a 1 kHz square wave and the modulated light can be detectedwith the photodiode. The resulting voltage waveform can be sampled usinga digital oscilloscope or standard data acquisition system. The 10-90%rise and fall times can be measured to determine the response time ofthe HPDLC tunable filter stack.

An ideal hyper spectral imaging filter would achieve a reflectionefficiency of 1. However, this is not feasible in practice. Fresnelreflection losses occur at each filter interface surface, lowering themaximum obtainable transmission at transparency. Scattering of lightthroughout the filter can further reduce transmission. The amount ofreflection can be dependent on a number of factors, including materialsused and number of Bragg layers. The type of liquid crystal can alsoimpact the maximum transmission due to any residual index mismatch withthe polymer. The reflection efficiency can also vary as a function ofmodulation frequency given different relaxation processes in the filter.

The DC reflection efficiency can be measured for each channel using thetungsten light source and the spectrometer. The spectral magnitude (incounts) can be measured for both OFF and BIASED (bipolar mode) statesand the efficiency can be calculated as the difference between the onand off magnitude divided by the on (transparent or semitransparent)magnitude.

The AC reflection efficiency can be measured for the resonant channelusing the laser light source and the photodiode. In a manner similar tothe response time measurement, a fixed frequency can be used to drivethe resonant filter and a waveform can be acquired digitally. Thereflection efficiency can be measured as the peak to peak differencedivided by the peak value.

The wavelength range can be measured using the white light source andthe spectrometer. Spectra can be acquired for two cases: 1) No bias toany filter, and 2) All filters biased on. These two spectralmeasurements can be subtracted from each other. The full width halfmaximum of the residual non-zero signal can be measured to determine thefull wavelength range.

The spectral resolution for each HPDLC filter element can be measuredusing the white light source and the spectrometer. This is effectivelythe same measurement as the wavelength range except only a single filterelement can be biased on at a time.

FIG. 19 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with aplurality of example acrylate based HPDLC filter elements. Each HPDLCfilter element was tested individually to determine its respectiveperformance characteristics. FIG. 20 illustrates a graph depicting aresulting filter response time of about 20 microseconds for an exampleof the plurality of acrylate based HPDLC filter elements. FIG. 21illustrates a graph depicting resulting dynamic reflection efficiencyindicating a dynamic filter throughput of about 37% for modulationfrequencies up to 40 kHz, exhibited by an example of the plurality ofacrylate based HPDLC filter elements.

FIG. 22 is a table containing parameters and metrics of an exampleacrylate based HPDLC tunable filter stack. FIG. 23 illustrates a graphdepicting the filter reflection efficiency of the example acrylate basedHPDLC tunable filter stack as a function of switching voltage. FIG. 24illustrates a graph depicting the transmission curves for the exampleacrylate based HPDLC tunable filter stack in unbiased and biased states.

FIG. 25 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with anexample thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack. An example thiolenebased HPDLC tunable filter stack can exhibit lower scattering anddecreased switching voltage relative to a respective example acrylatebased HPDLC tunable filter stack, but can exhibit decreased overallreflection efficiency relative to a respective example acrylate basedHPDLC tunable filter stack. FIG. 26 illustrates a graph depicting acomparison of reflection efficiency as a function of switching voltagefor an example thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack.

FIG. 27 is a table containing parameters and metrics associated with anexample thiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack comprising HPDLCfilter elements having filter lengths of 20 microns. An HPDLC tunablefilter stack comprising HPDLC filter elements with 20 micron filterlengths exhibits improved reflection efficiency and resolution, butrequire increased switching voltage relative to an HPDLC tunable filterstack comprising HPDLC filter elements having 5 micron filter lengths.FIG. 28 illustrates a graph depicting the response of an example HPDLCtunable filter stack comprising HPDLC filter elements with 20 micronfilter lengths as a function of switching voltage and indicates theperformance of high-speed tunable filtering of light. Only four distinctnotches are seen since the 610 and 616 filter passbands overlap.

FIG. 29 is a table illustrating the performance of an example thiolenebased HPDLC tunable filter stack operating in the near-IR portion of thespectrum. Similarly to the visible region, good performance is exhibitedfor resolution, reflection efficiency and switching voltage. FIG. 30illustrates a graph depicting the response of the thiolene based HPDLCfilter stack as a function of switching voltage, indicating goodperformance is obtained across the near-IR region.

Each HPDLC element within an HPDLC tunable filter stack can be modulatedat a different frequency on the order of tens of kHz due to theextremely fast filter switching time, thereby supporting the ability tosynchronously detect and demodulate each wavelength, in other words tospectrally multiplex imaging data. FIG. 31 depicts the demodulatedsignals for an example HPDLC tunable filter stack comprising ten filterswhen the HPDLC tunable filter stack is subjected to a monochromaticlight source resonant with the HPDLC tunable filter stack operating atchannel 6. Two effects can be observed: a 20% decay in the inband signalafter initial bias; and non-zero out of band signals. The cause of theinband decay is believed to be relaxation process in the LC material.The out of band signal is believed to be due to high-frequency noise inthe frequency doubled Nd:Yag laser source and not a property of theHPDLC tunable filter stack.

FIG. 32 shows the synchronous outputs for a He:Ne gas laser. Althoughthe decay is still present as expected (not shown in the figure), theout of band signal is gone for the gas laser as FIG. 32 shows noincrease in out of band signal after biasing the filter.

It should be appreciated that HPDLC filter elements can be constructedusing various materials, for instance the above-described acrylate basedand thiolene based HPDLC filter elements. Example HPDLC tunable filterstacks can exhibit differing electro-optic performance characteristics,for instance based upon the materials used to construct the respectiveHPDLC filter elements of the HPDLC tunable filter stacks. Theelectro-optic performance of HPDLC tunable filter stacks constructedusing different materials can differ in terms of long term stabilityreflection efficiency, switching efficiency, switching voltages,polarization sensitivity, scattering and switching speed, primarily dueto the difference in the morphology of the HPDLC elements as they areformed. For instance, thiolene based HPDLC elements can exhibit a lowerswitching voltage, narrower full width at half maximum (FWHM), and lowerscattering relative to acrylate based HPDLC elements. Additionally,thiolene based HPDLC elements can exhibit a lack of polarizationdependence, while acrylate based HPDLC elements can exhibit diffractionefficiency of P polarization that is higher than for S polarization.

Described below is an example HPDLC tunable filter stack that can beutilized for hyperspectral imaging (HSI). The example HPDLC tunablefilter stack is capable of gathering hyperspectral imaging data withinthe visible wavelength range, more specifically in the visiblewavelength range of 600-800 nm. Alternatively, the HPDLC tunable filterstack can be constructed to operate within any desired portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum, for instance within any portion, such as theentire range, of the spectrum of visible light, the near infrared range,the thermal infrared range, the far infrared range, or any combinationthereof. An HPDLC tunable filter stack utilized in an HSI system cancomprise a plurality of HPDLC elements. For instance, the example HPDLCtunable filter stack comprises twenty HPDLC elements, each with a FWHMof approximately 10 nm.

The HPDLC elements of the example HPDLC tunable filter stack exhibit anumber of properties useful for HSI applications, including uniformreflection efficiency of approximately 80% across a 35 mm opticalaperture, polarization insensitivity for normal incidence, spectralresolution of 10 nm, and fast switching times on the order ofmicroseconds. Moreover, the ability to modulate each HPDLC element inthe HPDLC tunable filter stack at a different frequency allows forspectral multiplexing, thus enabling synchronous detection anddemodulation of imaging data. The example HPDLC tunable filter stack canbe integrated into the drive and detection system of a hyperspectralimaging system, for instance the above-described drive and detectionsystem.

FIG. 33 depicts a number of example techniques that can be used toassemble the HPDLC elements of the example HPDLC tunable filter stack,wherein N equals the number of HPDLC elements in the stack. Inaccordance with technique a), each of the HPDLC elements can beindividually fabricated, sandwiched between a respective pair of ITOcoated glass substrates. Therefore, an HPDLC tunable filter stackfabricated in accordance with technique a) requires 2N substrates, forinstance 2N pieces of ITO glass. The individual HPDLC elements can thenbe affixed to one another to comprise the HPDLC tunable filter stack.

In accordance with technique b), individual HPDLC filter elements areformed on glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) on bothsides, allowing independent switching of each HPDLC element in the HPDLCtunable filter stack. Successive layers of the HPDLC tunable filterstack can be formed with the existing layers of the stack unbiased orbiased, while exposing the subsequent layer to an interference pattern.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 34, the first HPDLC element of thestack is formed by the one beam method using a reflecting mirror behindthe HPDLC element so that the incident and the reflected beamsself-interfere to form an interference pattern within the HPDLC element.The first HPDLC element comprises a glass substrate which can be coatedwith ITO on both sides. The second HPDLC element layer of the stack canbe formed directly behind the first HPDLC element, sandwiched betweenthe ITO coated side of the first HPDLC element and another ITO coatedglass slide as shown in FIG. 34. Therefore, an HPDLC tunable filterstack fabricated in accordance with technique b) requires N+1substrates, for instance N+1 pieces of double-sided ITO glass.

Switching one or more of the existing HPDLC element layers of the stackduring interference pattern exposure of subsequent layers can improvethe reflection efficiency of HPDLC element layers in the stack.Additionally, the optical path length of the HPDLC tunable filter stackcan be reduced due to elimination of substrate layers relative to anHPDLC tunable filter stack constructed in accordance with technique a).Moreover, stacking HPDLC elements in accordance with technique b) caneliminate the use of index matching materials between HPDLC elements,hence reducing parallax and wavefront errors.

Referring again to FIG. 33, in accordance with technique c), the firstHPDLC filter element of the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be formed ona glass substrate, and subsequent HPDLC filter elements can be formed ontop of the preceding HPDLC element in the stack, the HPDLC elementsspaced by intervening conductive layers. Therefore, an HPDLC tunablefilter stack fabricated in accordance with technique c) requires onlytwo substrates, for instance two pieces of ITO glass. An HPDLC tunablefilter stack in accordance with technique c) can be fabricated byutilizing the above-described spin coating apparatus and methods.

The example HPDLC tunable filter stack utilized for HSI was fabricatedusing technique a). The example HPDLC tunable filter stack comprisestwenty individually formed HPDLC filter elements, each with a FWHM ofapproximately 10 nm, fabricated in the 600-800 nm range. The individualHPDLC filter elements were glued together one behind the other using theUV curable photopolymer NOA65 to provide index matching between thestacked filter elements and to minimize transmission loss due to anyindex mismatch. It should be appreciated that the example HPDLC tunablefilter stack is not limited to fabrication using technique a), and thatthe example HPDLC tunable filter stack can be alternatively fabricatedusing any other suitable technique, for instance techniques b) or c), asdesired.

As described above, a typical hyperspectral imaging system comprisesfore optics, a wavelength dispersing element, and an array of detectors.However known wavelength filtering or dispersing elements typically donot offer the ability to simultaneously access and rapidly tune thewavelength to obtain a spectral multiplex, or support high speedhyperspectral imaging from a moving platform such as an aircraft. Theexample HPDLC tunable filter stack can be employed as a high speedwavelength filtering element in the optical front end of a hyperspectralimaging system. The ability to modulate each HPDLC filter element in thestack at a different frequency can allow spectral multiplexing ofimaging data. Synchronous detection and demodulation can be performed ona monochromatic wavelength passing through the HPDLC tunable filter.

Example HPDLC filter elements of the HPDLC tunable filter stack can beholographically fabricated over a circular optical aperture of 35 mm indiameter having a narrow spectral bandwidth using techniques discussedherein. High speed electro-optic switching on the order of microsecondswith polarization insensitivity can be achieved using the example HPDLCtunable filter stack.

FIGS. 35-36 are tables containing parameters and metrics associated withrespective individual example thiolene based, 30 mm aperture HPDLCfilter elements of the example HPDLC tunable filter stack in the 600-700nm, and 700-800 nm wavelength ranges, respectively. FIGS. 37A-J and38A-J illustrate individual transmission spectra of the individualexample thiolene based, 30 mm aperture HPDLC filter elements of theexample HPDLC tunable filter stack in the 600-700 nm, and 700-800 nmwavelength ranges, respectively. Slight differences in reflectionefficiencies of the HPDLC filter elements can cause the HPDLC filterelements to exhibit differences in switching voltage.

FIGS. 39A-B illustrate the spectra, both biased and unbiased (i.e.,switched and unswitched), of a pair of thiolene based HPDLC tunablefilter stacks in the 600-700 nm range and 700-800 nm range,respectively, each filter stack comprising ten HPDLC filter elements.Because scattering is more dominant at lower wavelengths, thetransmission throughput in the unswitched state (0V) is higher in the700-800 nm range than in the 600-700 nm range. The example HPDLC tunablefilter stacks demonstrate the ability to access wavelengths with aresolution of 10 nm with polarization insensitivity and microsecondswitching in a given optical band. Transmission throughput for the HPDLCtunable filter stacks can be diminished due to random wavelengthdependent scattering losses arising from the size of the LC dropletstrapped in the polymer matrix. Additionally, transmission throughput forthe example HPDLC tunable filter stack can be attributed to the factthat the presence of index matched ITO glass substrates within the stackcan reduce the overall transmission throughput, for instance byapproximately 40%. Of course transmission throughput loss attributableto the presence of glass substrates can be mitigated by fabricating theexample HPDLC tunable filter stack utilizing a reduced number of glasssubstrates, for instance by fabricating the example HPDLC tunable filterstack in accordance with techniques b) or c).

A filtering element comprising a wider view angle can enable a widerfield of view within the hyperspectral imaging system, thus reducing thephysical size of the wavelength filters and eliminating the need for alarge area CCD. In order to improve the view angle of the example HPDLCfilter elements, diffusing films, such as those with diffusing angles of5° and 30°, can be introduced into the path of the recording beam, forinstance between the prism and the thiolene based HPDLC filter element,as illustrated in FIG. 40A. The diffuser can act to diffuse the incomingbeam. While introducing a diffuser can reduce the coherency of therecording beam, enough coherency can be maintained to record therespective Bragg structures. Additionally, introducing a diffuser canreduce the reflection efficiency and/or increase the FWHM of the HPDLCfilter elements, as is evident from the morphology of the non-diffuseand diffuse HPDLC filter elements illustrated in FIGS. 40B and 40C,respectively.

FIG. 41A illustrates the expansion of the view angle of an example HPDLCfilter element by 10° using a 5° diffusing film. The example HPDLCfilter element was rotated +/−5° with respect to the normal incidentwhite light source and no blue shift was observed in the transmissionspectra, suggesting a widening of the view angle. A similar result canbe seen in FIG. 41B for an example HPDLC filter element with a 20° viewangle, but in this case the reflection efficiency is dramaticallydecreased and a widening of the FWHM is exhibited.

The example HPDLC tunable filter stack can be utilized in an examplehyperspectral imaging system, with the above-described drive anddetection electronics, to spectrally multiplex acquired hyperspectralimaging data. The electro-optic performance of the example HPDLC tunablefilter stack in this application can be and be tested and analyzed usingthe above-described equipment and techniques. In an example testingscenario, a 633 nm He—Ne laser was transmitted through an examplethiolene based HPDLC tunable filter stack operating in the 600-700 nmwavelength range and comprising ten HPDLC filter elements. The HPDLCfilter elements were modulated at different respective frequencies. Oneof the HPDLC filter elements comprises a notch at 633 nm wavelength. Themultiplexed output of the each HPDLC element of the example HPDLCtunable filter stack was collected on the photodiode and was madeavailable on a respective one of ten different channels for synchronousdetection and demodulation.

FIG. 42 illustrates the demodulated signal for all ten HPDLC elementfilters when subjected to the monochromatic light source resonant withthe HPDLC tunable filter operating at channel 6. A distinct rise in thechannel 6 signal is exhibited, suggesting detection of the transmitted633 nm He—Ne wavelength, while little signal is seen on the non-resonantchannels. This demonstrates the ability of the example HPDLC tunablefilter stack to detect the incoming wavelength signal while remainingunaffected by the other modulating filters. The hyperspectral cube canbe extracted from the modulated image.

In another example testing scenario, the HPDLC filter elements of theexample HPDLC tunable filter stack can be sequentially switched duringacquisition of hyperspectral imaging data. To facilitate sequentialswitching and acquisition of hyperspectral imaging data, thehyperspectral imaging system can be modified to incorporate the McBethcolor chart and short pass and long pass filters with cut offs at 800 nmand 700 nm, respectively. A schematic of this system is depicted in FIG.43. FIG. 44 illustrates a composite transmission spectra of an exampleHPDLC tunable filter stack comprising five HPDLC filter elements, alongwith the short and long pass filters.

The McBeth color checker chart is an industry standard that provides anon-subjective comparison with a test pattern of 24 scientificallyprepared colored squares. Each color square represents a natural object,such as human skin, foliage, blue sky, etc., thereby providing aqualitative reference to quantifiable values. Each color will reflectlight in the same way in all parts of the visible spectrum, thusmaintaining color consistency over different illumination options.

During testing, each HPDLC filter element in the stack was sequentiallyswitched in order to acquire an image of the color checker chart at thatrespective wavelength. FIGS. 45A-F illustrate images of the McBeth chartacquired at different wavelengths. More specifically, FIG. 45A depictsan image of the color checker in the 700 nm-800 nm visible range, FIG.45B depicts an image of the color checker at 727 nm, FIG. 45C depicts animage of the color checker at 741 nm, FIG. 45D depicts an image of thecolor checker at 751 nm, FIG. 45E depicts an image of the color checkerat 769 nm, and FIG. 45F depicts an image of the color checker at 785 nm.These images form the basis of a hyper spectral cube which allowsplotting of the spectra of a particular entity in the images at variouswavelengths.

FIG. 46 illustrates a hyperspectral cube formed from hyperspectralimaging data acquired through the example HPDLC tunable filter stack viasequential switching. This figure illustrates three dimensions where xand y are the spatial dimensions and λ is the wavelength dimension. FIG.47 depicts reflectance extracted from the hyperspectral cube for threedifferent colors pink, red and yellow at 727 nm, 741 nm, 751 nm, 769 nm,and 785 nm. This kind of reflectance spectra enables identification ofspecific materials in the image. Of course in a real world application,reflectance due to atmosphere has to be accounted for while plotting theactual reflectance spectra of the desired object in the image.

Undesirable characteristics exhibited by an HPDLC tunable filter stack,for instance wavelength dependent scattering, especially at lowerwavelengths, and/or out of band increase in transmission after switchingneeds, can be mitigated by fabricating HPDLC filter elements with closeto 100% reflection efficiencies, in which case the LC droplet size inthe polymer matrix can be well below the critical limit for scattering.HPDLC filter elements with close to 100% reflection efficiencies mayexhibit increased switching voltage and/or faster switching times, whilemaintaining polarization insensitivity.

In an example application of the HPDLC tunable filter stack utilized forhyperspectral imaging (HSI), a hyperspectral imager comprising an HPDLCtunable filter stack can be mounted to a moving platform. FIG. 48depicts a hyperspectral imaging system 300 that includes a hyperspectral imager 302 mounted to a moving platform 304. The hyperspectralimager 302 can be configured to be carried by the platform 304, forinstance to facilitate remote acquisition of hyperspectral imaging data.For example, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the hyperspectral imager 302 can be mounted to a moving platform 304 configuredto facilitate airborne acquisition of hyperspectral imaging data, suchas the depicted moving platform 304 in the form of unmanned aerialvehicle (UAV). The hyper spectral imager 302 can comprise at least oneHPDLC tunable filter stack. That is, the hyper spectral imager 302 cancomprise a single HPDLC tunable filter stack. Alternatively, the hyperspectral imager 302 can comprise an HPDLC tunable filter comprising aplurality of HPDLC tunable filter stacks, such as discrete HPDLC tunablefilter stacks, each stack configured to facilitate acquisition ofhyperspectral imaging data throughout a discrete spectrum ofwavelengths.

The example HPDLC tunable filter stack of the hyperspectral imager 302can be fabricated to facilitate the acquisition of hyperspectral imagingdata, for instance pertaining to a scene of interest 310, throughout thenear infrared wavelength range (e.g., approximately 780 nm toapproximately 3 μm), but the HPDLC tunable filter stack canalternatively be fabricated to facilitate the acquisition ofhyperspectral imaging data pertaining to a scene of interest 310 inand/or throughout frequency bands in the visible wavelength range (e.g.,approximately 390 nm to approximately 780 nm), the near infrared range(e.g., approximately 780 nm to approximately 3 μm), and at least aportion of the mid infrared wavelength range (e.g., approximately 3 μmto approximately 12 μm) in any combination. It should be appreciatedthat the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be fabricated to facilitate theacquisition of hyperspectral imaging data pertaining to a scene ofinterest 310 within the mid infrared range (e.g., approximately 12 μm toapproximately 50 μm), and/or the far infrared range (e.g., approximately50 μm to approximately 1000 μm), however absorption characteristicsattributable to the chemical composition of the polymer layers may atleast partially hinder performance of the HPDLC tunable filter stack.

The hyperspectral imaging system 300 can further comprise one or morecommunication relay devices, for instance the satellite 306 and/or theground based antenna 308. In accordance with the illustrated embodiment,the hyperspectral imager 302 can be mounted to the moving platform 304such that the hyperspectral imager 302 can acquire imaging data from ascene of interest 310, such as a portion of terrain over which the UAVis flying. The hyperspectral imager 302 can be attached to the movingplatform 304 such that the hyperspectral imager 302 can maintain focuson a particular scene of interest 310, for instance by enabling rotationalong multiple axes of the hyperspectral imager 302 relative to themoving platform 304.

Hyperspectral imaging data acquired by the hyperspectral imager 302 canbe analyzed and transmitted to interested parties via communicationrelay devices such as the satellite 306 and/or the ground based antenna308. For instance, hyperspectral imaging data can be acquired by thehyperspectral imager 302 and transmitted directly by the moving platform304 to the ground based antenna 308 for subsequent analysis.Alternatively, the hyperspectral imaging data can be acquired by thehyperspectral imager 302 and transmitted to the ground based antenna 308via the satellite 306. It should be appreciated that the hyperspectralimaging system 300 is not limited to the illustrated configuration, andthat the hyperspectral imaging system 300 can be differently configuredas desired. For instance, the acquired hyperspectral imaging data can beanalyzed by the moving platform 304, and can be transmitted usingdifferent communication relay devices, etc. It should further beappreciated that the hyperspectral imaging system 300 is not limited tothe illustrated moving platform 304, and that the hyperspectral imagingsystem 300 can alternatively be configured with any other suitablemoving platform 304, or any suitable stationary platform, as desired.

In another example application, an HPDLC tunable filter stack can befabricated as a high-speed switchable optical shield. For example, FIG.49 depicts a switchable optical shielding system 400 comprising anaviator helmet 402 and a visor 404 that utilizes an HPDLC tunable filterstack. In an alternative embodiment, the aviator helmet 402 can beomitted from the switchable optical shielding system 400. The visor 404can comprise at least one, such as a plurality of HPDLC tunable filterstacks integrated with the visor 404. For instance, the at least oneHPDLC tunable filter stack can be applied (e.g., adhered) to a portion,such as an entirety of a surface of the visor 404, for instance aportion, such as the entirety of the inner surface of the visor 404, aportion, such as the entirety of the outer surface of the visor 404, orany combination thereof. The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack canbe adhered to a respective surface of the visor 404 as a coating. The atleast one HPDLC tunable filter stack can comprise a single HPDLC tunablefilter stack sized and shaped to coat a respective surface of the visor404. Alternatively, the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack cancomprise a plurality of HPDLC tunable filter stacks adhered torespective portions of a surface of the visor 404, thereby coveringdiscrete portions of, or the entirety of, the respective surface of thevisor 404. For example the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack cancomprise a plurality of HPDLC tunable filter stacks disposed adjacent toone another along a surface of the visor 404. The at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack can be fabricated to conform to the respectivesurface geometries of the visor 404. For instance, the HPDLC filterelements of the stack can be fabricated with curved Bragg gratings, asdescribed herein elsewhere.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack of the switchable optical shielding system 400 isswitchable between transparent and reflective states, as described inmore detail below. When the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack isswitched into the reflective state, the HPDLC tunable filter stack canreflect light incident on the visor 404 throughout the visiblewavelength range (e.g., approximately 390 nm to approximately 780 nm)and the near infrared wavelength range (e.g., approximately 780 nm toapproximately 1.2 μm), that is through an effective wavelength range ofapproximately 390 nm to approximately 1.2 μm, but the at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack can alternatively be fabricated to reflect incidentlight in and/or throughout the visible wavelength range (e.g.,approximately 390 nm to approximately 780 nm), the near infrared range(e.g., approximately 780 nm to approximately 3 μm), and at least aportion of the mid infrared wavelength range (e.g., approximately 3 μmto approximately 12 μm) in any combination. It should be appreciatedthat the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be fabricated toreflect incident light within the mid infrared range (e.g.,approximately 12 μm to approximately 50 μm) and/or the far infraredrange (e.g., approximately 50 μm to approximately 1000 μm), howeverabsorption characteristics attributable to the chemical composition ofthe polymer layers may at least partially hinder performance of the atleast one HPDLC tunable filter stack.

The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack exhibits switching responsetimes of approximately 20 μs. In other words, the at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack can be switched from the transparent state to thereflective state in approximately 20 μs, and from the reflective stateto the transparent state in approximately 20 μs. It should beappreciated that the switchable optical shielding system 400 is notlimited to switching response times of approximately 20 μs, and that theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can alternatively be fabricatedto exhibit faster switching times. For example, switching times ofapproximately 1 μs to 2 μs can be achieved by doping the prepolymermixture of the HPDLC filter elements with carbon based nanoparticlesduring fabrication.

The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be placed in electricalcommunication with a power source, for instance a power source providedto the helmet 402. The power source can be configured to simultaneouslyapply respective switching voltages to each of the respective HPDLCfilter elements comprising the HPDLC tunable filter stack, such that theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be maintained in thetransparent, completely biased state, so as to allow light incident onthe visor 404 to pass through to a wearer of the helmet 402. Theswitchable optical shielding system 400 can be configured to receive aswitching signal, for example a switching signal generated by a sensor406 communicatively coupled to the visor 404, and in particular to theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack. In accordance with theillustrated embodiment, the sensor 406 can be attached to or integral tothe helmet 402. Upon receiving the switching signal, the switchableoptical shielding system 400 can at least temporarily interrupt thedelivery of power to one or more HPDLC filter elements of the at leastone HPDLC tunable filter stack, thereby causing the at least one, suchas all of the HPDLC filter elements of the HPDLC tunable filter stack toswitch from the transparent state to the reflective state and to reflectrespective wavelengths of light incident upon the visor 404.

The power to the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be interrupted for apredetermined amount of time, for instance an interval of time adequateto allow a sudden high intensity flash of light to mitigate, therebycausing the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack to switch from thetransparent state to the reflective state and to act as an opticalshield relative to the wearer of the helmet 402. It should beappreciated that the sensor 406 need not be attached to or integral tothe helmet 402, and that the sensor 406 can alternatively be attached toor integral to an aircraft associated with the helmet 402, can beattached to or integral to the visor 404, or can be located remotely andcan transmit the switching signal to the switchable optical shieldingsystem 400. It should further be appreciated that the switchable opticalshielding system 400 is not limited to a single sensor 406. Forinstance, the switchable optical shielding system 400 can comprise aplurality of sensors 406, such as an array of redundant sensors, whereinsensors of the array can be attached to or integral to the helmet 402,attached to or integral to an aircraft associated with the helmet 402,attached to or integral to the visor 404, located remotely, or anycombination thereof.

FIG. 50 illustrates another example embodiment of a high-speedswitchable optical shielding system 500 comprising an aircraft canopy502 that utilizes at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack. The aircraftcanopy 502 can be mounted to an aircraft 504 and operate as atransparent enclosure over the cockpit of the aircraft 504. Typically,the function of an aircraft canopy is to provide a weatherproof andreasonably quiet environment for the aircraft's occupants, such as thepilot, co-pilot, and the like. FIG. 50 depicts an example canopy 502shaped for use with the military aircraft 504, but it should beappreciated that the canopy 502 can be alternatively sized and/or shapedfor use with any other type of aircraft as desired. The illustratedcanopy 502 can comprise at least one, such as a plurality of HPDLCtunable filter stacks integrated with the canopy 502. For instance, theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be applied (e.g., adhered)to a portion, such as an entirety of a surface of the canopy 502, forinstance a portion, such as the entirety of the inner surface of thecanopy 502, a portion, such as the entirety of the outer surface of thecanopy 502, or any combination thereof. The at least one HPDLC tunablefilter stack can be adhered to a respective surface of the canopy 502 asa coating. The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can comprise asingle HPDLC tunable filter stack sized and shaped to coat a respectivesurface of the canopy 502. Alternatively, the at least one HPDLC tunablefilter stack can comprise a plurality of HPDLC tunable filter stacksadhered to respective portions of a surface of the canopy 502, therebycovering discrete portions of, or the entirety of, the respectivesurface of the canopy 502. For example the at least one HPDLC tunablefilter stack can comprise a plurality of HPDLC tunable filter stacksdisposed adjacent to one another along a surface of the canopy 502. Theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be fabricated to conform tothe respective surface geometries of the canopy 502. For instance, theHPDLC filter elements of the stack can be fabricated with curved Bragggratings, as described herein elsewhere.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack of the switchable optical shielding system 500 isswitchable between transparent and reflective states, as described inmore detail below. When the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack isswitched into the reflective state, the HPDLC tunable filter stack canreflect light incident on the canopy 502 throughout the visiblewavelength range (e.g., approximately 390 nm to approximately 780 nm),the near infrared wavelength range (e.g., approximately 780 nm toapproximately 3 μm), and at least a portion of the mid infraredwavelength range (e.g., approximately 3 μm to approximately 12 μm), thatis through an effective wavelength range of approximately 390 nm toapproximately 12 μm, but the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack canalternatively be fabricated to reflect incident light in and/orthroughout the visible wavelength range (e.g., approximately 390 nm toapproximately 780 nm), the near infrared range (e.g., approximately 780nm to 3 μm), and at least a portion of the mid infrared wavelength range(e.g., approximately 3 μm to approximately 12 μm) in any combination. Itshould be appreciated that the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stackcan be fabricated to reflect incident light within the mid infraredrange (e.g., approximately 12 μm to approximately 50 μm), and/or the farinfrared range (e.g., approximately 50 μm to approximately 1000 μm)however absorption characteristics attributable to the chemicalcomposition of the polymer layers may at least partially hinderperformance of the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack.

The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack exhibits switching responsetimes of approximately 20 μs. In other words, the at least one HPDLCtunable filter stack can be switched from the transparent state to thereflective state in approximately 20 μs, and from the reflective stateto the transparent state in approximately 20 μs. It should beappreciated that the switchable optical shielding system 500 is notlimited to switching response times of approximately 20 μs, and that theat least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can alternatively be fabricatedto exhibit faster switching times. For example, switching times ofapproximately 1 μs to 2 μs can be achieved by doping the prepolymermixture of the HPDLC filter elements with carbon based nanoparticlesduring fabrication.

The at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack can be placed in electricalcommunication with a power source, for instance a power source providedto the canopy 502 by the aircraft 504. The power source can beconfigured to simultaneously apply respective switching voltages to eachof the respective HPDLC filter elements comprising the HPDLC tunablefilter stack, such that the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack canbe maintained in the transparent, completely biased state, so as toallow light incident on the canopy 502 to pass through to occupants,such as a pilot 506 of the aircraft 504. The switchable opticalshielding system 500 can be configured to receive a switching signal,for example a switching signal generated by a sensor 508, for instance asensor communicatively coupled to the canopy 502, and in particular tothe at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack. In accordance with theillustrated embodiment, the sensor 508 can be attached to or integral tothe aircraft 504. The sensor 508 can be configured to transmit aswitching signal to the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack inresponse to a trigger. For example, the sensor 508 can be triggered totransmit a switching signal to the at least one HPDLC tunable filterstack when light of a particular wavelength is sensed by the sensor 508.Upon receiving the switching signal, the switchable optical shieldingsystem 500 can at least temporarily interrupt the delivery of power toone or more HPDLC filter elements of the at least one HPDLC tunablefilter stack, thereby causing the at least one, such as all of the HPDLCfilter elements of the HPDLC tunable filter stack to switch from thetransparent state to the reflective state and to reflect respectivewavelengths of light incident upon the canopy 502.

The power to the HPDLC tunable filter stack can be interrupted for apredetermined amount of time, for instance an interval of time adequateto allow a sudden high intensity flash of light to mitigate, therebycausing the at least one HPDLC tunable filter stack to switch from thetransparent state to the reflective state and to act as an opticalshield relative to occupants of the aircraft 504, such as the pilot 506.It should be appreciated that the sensor 508 need not be attached to orintegral with the aircraft 504, and that the sensor 508 canalternatively be attached to or integral to an article supported by anoccupant of the aircraft, such as a helmet 402 worn by the pilot 506, orcan be located remotely and can transmit the switching signal to theswitchable optical shielding system 500. It should further beappreciated that the switchable optical shielding system 500 is notlimited to a single sensor 508. For instance, the switchable opticalshielding system 500 can comprise a plurality of sensors, such as anarray of redundant sensors, wherein sensors of the array can be attachedto or integral with the aircraft 504, attached to or integral with anarticle supported by an occupant, located remotely, or any combinationthereof. It should further still be appreciated that one or morecomponents of the switchable optical shielding systems 400, 500 can beconfigured to operate in concert with one another. For instance, HPDLCtunable filter stacks attached to the visor 404 and the canopy 502 canbe switched simultaneously, for instance in response to a commonswitching signal, thereby providing redundant optical shielding tooccupants in the aircraft wearing the helmet 402 and at least partiallysurrounded by the canopy 502.

Although the tunable electro-optic filter stack has been describedherein with reference to preferred embodiments and/or preferred methods,it should be understood that the words which have been used herein arewords of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation,and that the scope of the instant disclosure is not intended to belimited to those particulars, but rather is meant to extend to allstructures, methods, and/or uses of the herein described tunableelectro-optic filter stack. Those skilled in the relevant art, havingthe benefit of the teachings of this specification, may effect numerousmodifications to the tunable electro-optic filter stack as describedherein, and changes may be made without departing from the scope andspirit of the instant disclosure, for instance as recited in theappended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A switchable optical shielding system comprising avisor integrated with a holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystaltunable filter, the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal tunablefilter capable of switching between respective transparent andreflective states in no more than 20 microseconds.
 2. The switchableoptical shielding system of claim 1, wherein when in the reflectivestate, the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal tunable filteris capable reflecting light incident upon visor throughout a wavelengthrange of approximately 780 nm to approximately 3 μm.
 3. The switchableoptical shielding system of claim 1, further comprising an aviatorhelmet coupled to the visor.
 47. The switchable optical shielding systemof claim 3, further comprising a sensor communicatively coupled to thevisor, the sensor configured to transmit a switching signal to the visorwhen light of a particular wavelength is sensed by the sensor, thesensor attached to the aviator helmet.
 5. The switchable opticalshielding system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor communicativelycoupled to the visor, the sensor configured to transmit a switchingsignal to the visor when light of a particular wavelength is sensed bythe sensor.
 6. The switchable optical shielding system of claim 3,wherein when in the reflective state, the holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filter is capable of reflecting light incidentupon the visor throughout a wavelength range of approximately 780 nm toapproximately 3 μm.
 70. The switchable optical shielding system of claim1, wherein the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal tunablefilter is adhered to a surface of the visor.
 8. The switchable opticalshielding system of claim 1, wherein the holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filter comprises a plurality of holographicpolymer dispersed liquid crystal tunable filters disposed adjacent toone another along a surface of the visor.
 9. A switchable opticalshielding system comprising a canopy mounted to an aircraft, at least aportion of the canopy integrated with a holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filter, the holographic polymer dispersed liquidcrystal tunable filter capable of switching between respectivetransparent and reflective states in no more than 20 microseconds. 10.The switchable optical shielding system of claim 9, wherein when in thereflective state, the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystaltunable filter is capable of reflecting light incident upon the canopythroughout a wavelength range of approximately 390 nm to approximately12 μm.
 11. The switchable optical shielding system of claim 10, furthercomprising at least one sensor communicatively coupled to the canopy,the at least one sensor configured to transmit a switching signal to thecanopy when light of a particular wavelength is sensed by the sensor.12. The switchable optical shielding system of claim 11, wherein theswitching signal is indicative of switching at least a portion of theholographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal tunable filter from thetransparent state to the reflective state or from the reflective stateto the transparent state.
 13. The switchable optical shielding system ofclaim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is attached to an aviatorhelmet worn by a pilot of the aircraft.
 14. The switchable opticalshielding system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor isintegrated into the aircraft.
 15. The switchable optical shieldingsystem of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an arrayof redundant sensors, at least a first sensor of the array attached toan aviator helmet worn by a pilot of the aircraft and at least a secondsensor of the array integrated into the aircraft.
 16. The switchableoptical shielding system of claim 11, wherein when in the reflectivestate, the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal tunable filteris capable reflecting light incident upon visor throughout a wavelengthrange of approximately 780 nm to approximately 3 μm.
 17. The switchableoptical shielding system of claim 9, wherein the holographic polymerdispersed liquid crystal tunable filter is adhered to at least a portionof a surface of the canopy.
 18. The switchable optical shielding systemof claim 9, wherein the holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystaltunable filter comprises a plurality of holographic polymer dispersedliquid crystal tunable filters disposed adjacent to one another along atleast a portion of a surface of the canopy.